Car rerailer



May 27, 1947. H. J. THOMAS 2,421,170

CAR RERAILER Filed Aug. 3, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l Attoneys ay 27, 194?; m, THOMAS 2,421,179

' CAR RERAILER Filed Aug. 3, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I n ventor a by Attorneys Patented May 27,1947

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel and structurally distinct car rerailer constituting an improvement on a simila car and engine rerailer disclosed in my Patent No. 1,466,035, of August 28, 1923.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and practical one-piece casting which is shaped and contoured to attain required wheel pick-up and re-railing results and which is of open-work light weight design but is so made and braced that requisite strength and stress and strain distribution and equalization is assured.

An object of the present invention is to provide a car rerailer, which is light weight in construction, is strong, compact and durable, the same having a depending lug situated between railroad ties in a manner to prevent the rerailer from slipping longitudinally on said ties.

More specifically and structurally stated, the invention is characterized by an openwork chock-like unit having a vertical wall of substantially triangular form which lends itself adaptable to the rail the lower portions of opposite outer ends of said wall being properly angled and disposed to underlie the head of the rail, said wall provided with a substantially V- shaped laterally disposed complemental plate having a convex centrally disposed wheel shifting and shunting crown which is inclined and at right angles to said head and body portions which decline outwardly and downwardly somewhat parallel to said rail, these serving as ramps, and there being an outstanding flange-like retainer opposite the said convex crown, this fashioned with a hook to take over the head of the rail and being characterized by an arcuate portion overlying said head and a grooved portion forming a wheel-flange guide between the arcuate part and conveXed crown.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein is disclosed an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings wherein lik reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure Us a fragmentary plan view of a portion of a railroad rail with its supporting ties, lllustrating an adaptation therewith, of the rerailer constructed in accordance with the structural and other principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof,

Figure 3 is an outer side elevational view of the rerailer.

Figure 4 is an end elevation thereof,

Figure 5 is a transverse, vertical detailed section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary transverse section through a complete railroad track construction showing a pair of complemental re-railers properly positioned in respect to the rails and also showing the mode of operation of the car wheels in relation thereto.

Briefly, and by way of introduction to the detailed description it will be seen that the improved rerailer comprises a one-piece casting which is fashioned into a unitary openwork frame, said frame being characterized by a vertical adapter wall which is substantially triangular in marginal outline and is suitably proportioned and constructed for disposition adjacent to and along-side-of a. standard rail, Formed integral with the upper edge portions of said adapter wall is an inverted substantially V-shaped topping or ramp plate, said plate being secured along one longitudinal edge to the upper edge portions of said adapter wall. The downwardly diverging body or end portions of said V-plate provide selectively usable wheel ramps, and the longitudinal free edge portions of said ramps are provided with upstanding ribs which serve not only as wheel guides but as safety guards as well. The vertex portion of the V-plate is narrowed in Width and is convexed to provide a wheel shifting crown, the latter being at right angles, obviously, to the corresponding vertex portion of the triangular wall. Retaining means is formed integral with the junctural vertex portions of the vertical wall and shifting crown, said retaining means being characterized by a horizontal flange which rests upon the ball or head of the rail, said flange being adjoined to said vertical wall by a web or ledge, said ledge being provided with a guide groove, the outerv edge portion of said flange having a depending flangerwhich hooks over the head of the rail. The upper surface of the first flange is arcuately'and longitudinally fashioned into a convex mound. The frame also includes horizontal and vertical reinforcing mem-' manner to retain the rerailer, as a unit, against slippage in relation to said cross-tie.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numerals 6 denote longitudinally spaced conventional railroad cross-ties on the top of which railroad rails 1, with conventional head or ball portion 8 are seated and spiked in place.

Referring to the re-railer itself, the numeral 9 indicates a. Substantially vertical, solid, rail adapter wall generally triangular in outline configuration whose respective half-portions incline slightly inwardly from their outer ends toward the vertical central region. Projecting laterally and horizontally from the top or vertex of the wall, is a longitudinally grooved ledge I B. The latter merges and integrates with a retainer flange II which rests atop the rail head and is provided with a confining and sustaining vertical flange l3.

These flanges II and I3 form a. hook such as suitably engage the head 8 of the rail 1 in a manner to adequately maintain the entire re-rail in place for use. The top side of said flange H is arcuately convexed and the groove in said ledge portion is denoted at l2 and serves a wheelflange guide.

A two-way ramp plate merges along one longitudinal edge with the rail adapter wall 9. Said plate [4 is of generally inverted V-shaped form and takes a position at approximate right angles in relation to said wall, The upwardly converging ramp surfaces of the plate [4 are substantially flat from the base of the structure to a convexed crown at the vertex of said plate, indicated at I5, which portion is wedge-shaped and situated at right angles to said guide groove 12.

As stated said crown portion I5 is slightly above and slopes toward the flange H and guide groove l2 and, in effect, is a wheel shifter in that when the wheel flange rides up and onto it, said flange skids and caroms laterally, finding its way into said guide groove as shown at the left in Figure 6. The inner longitudinal edges of the ramps of said plate l4 diverge from the vertex l5 outwardly and downwardly as will-be clearly understood by referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, and along these inner edges are upstanding safety or guard ribs l6, H.

The upper adjacent ends of the ribs [6, l7 do not meet, but are spaced adjacent the shifting crown [5 of the plate and cause said wheels to skid into the groove I2 onto the tread 8, whereby the car wheels are replaced on the rails.

Spaced laterally from the vertical wall 9 and disposed on a plane well below the plate 14, is a longitudinally extending, horizontally disposed flat base bar l8 that merges and unites at its ends to the coacting opposite ramp ends of said plate M.

It will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings, that the base bar I8 is very light in construction and covers approximatelyone-third only of the width of the rerailer, thereby eliminating a quantity of metal and materially lightening the overall structure.

A plurality of transversely extending longitudinally spaced, upstanding reinforcing webs l9 are formed integral at their inner ends with the wall 9, with the top plate 14 and merge at their outer ends with the base bar l8. The Webs I9 are solid and any number thereof may be provided.

It will be noted by reference to the drawings that the base bar is approximately the same in thickness as the plate 14 and the adapter wall '9 4 of the rerailer. Depending from the base bar I8 is an abutment lug 20 that has knife-like edges 2|, 22. This lug 20 is to be disposed in the space between the wooden ties and abuts one side of either of the adjacent ties to prevent the rerailer from slipping or becoming displaced.

In the application of each device, the flange I3 is arranged and hooked in place over the tread of the rail thus seating said flange on said tread and properly positioning and retaining the ramps and said guide groove l2. The lug 20 is disposed between the ties 6. The wheel (or wheels) of the car or engine will ride up either ramp on the plate [4 until it reaches the sloping crown portion ('5 whereupon it will carom and shift laterally into the groove l2 and. from there onto the tread 8 of the rail.

Novelty is thought to reside in the openwork frame structure characterized by the triangular vertical wall 9, the coacting plate I 4, embodying the selectively usable inclined ramps, the base bar lB-and the reinforcing connective webs between the wall 9, plate 14 and said base bar. Novelty is also predicated upon the convexed wheel shifting member 15 of somewhat dovetailshaped form and the hooking and retaining means formed by the grooved ledge 10, the depending skirt-like flange l3 and the intervening arcuately mounded flange l I.

It will be noted that the arcuate mound H which rests above the ball of the rail is comparatively thick and this provides one point of support for the rerailer. Also, the vertical adapter wall 9 is of a dimension that its lower edge rests on the base flange of the rail to contribute to the balancing and supporting action, in an evident manner. Due to the fact that the outwardly and downwardly declining ramps are wide at their lower or intake end, it is possible to pick up a car Wheel which is within a range of ten inches from the rail. The guide ribs feed the wheel flange nicely into the diverter seat.

The description is directed primarily to the particular construction of a single one of the re-railers. It is understood, however, that the re-railers are used in pairs as shown for example in Figure 6. As a matter of fact, the illustration provided by way of Figure 6 is believed to be sufficiently self-explanatory to bring out not only the construction of each re-railer and the manner in which the re-railers are associated with the rails, but also the co-action and adaptability of allof the elements which go to make up the construction of said re-railers.

It will be appreciated that rerailers constructed in accordance with my ideas require no spikin or clamps to hold them in place at any time for rerailing a car or engine. They are made-0f the best cast steel, with no parts tolose and will cut the cost of derailment down to one-third in the saving .of time and man hours.

It is to be understood that by describing in detail herein, any particular form, structural arrangement, it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms, of the several claims, or the requirements of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A car re-railer of the type shown and described comprising a single casting fashioned into a unitary openwork frame, said frame comprising a substantially triangular vertically disposable adapter wall proportioned and constructed for spaced disposition adjacent to and alongside of a eoacting standard railroad rail, the outer end portions of said wall being laterally disposed and adapted to rest directly on the rail base flange, an inverted substantially V-shaped plate, said plate secured to and extending at approximate right angles from the upper edges of said adapter wall, the end portions of said plate slanting downwardly and outwardly from the vertical median top portion of the frame and defining wheel ramps, the edges of said ramps spaced outwardly from said adapter wall being provided with upstanding longitudina1 ribs, said ribs constituting wheel confining guides, the vertex portion of said plate inclining laterally and toward the head of the rail in a manner to receive and then laterally shift the wheel in the direction of said rail head, the vertex of said plate being formed with an integral outstanding horizontal retainer, said retainer being adapted to rest upon and hook over the head of the rail, said retainer embodying a wheel flange guiding groove, the latter spaced from and at right angles to said vertex, and a horizontally disposed relatively narrow tie spanning bar, said bar being connected at its outer ends to the transverse outer end portions of said plate, said bar being laterally and outwardly spaced from the vertical adapter wall, and retaining and anchoring means on the underside of said bar adapted to abut an adjacent tie to limit slippage of the frame after its working position is established.

2. A car re-railer of the type shown and described comprising a single casting fashioned into a unitary openwork frame, said frame comprising a substantially triangular vertically disposable adapter wall proportioned and constructed for spaced disposition adjacent to and alongside of a coacting standard railroad rail, the outer end portions of said wall being laterally disposed and adapted to rest directly on the rail base flange, an inverted substantially V-shaped plate, said plate secured to and extending at approximate right angles from the upper edges of said adapter wall, the end portions of said plate slanting downwardly and outwardly from the ertical median top portion of the frame and defining wheel ramps, the edges of said ramps spaced outwardly from said adapter wall being provided with upstanding longitudinal ribs, said ribs constituting wheel confining guides, the vertex portion of said plate inclining laterally and toward the head of the rail in a manner to receive and then laterally shift the wheel in the direction of said rail head, the vertex of said plate being formed with an integral outstanding horizontal retainer, said retainer being adapted to rest upon and hook over the head of the rail, said retainer embodying a wheel flange guiding groove, the latter spaced from and at right angles to said vertex, and a horizontally disposed relatively narrow tie spanning bar, said bar being connected at its outer ends to the transverse outer end portions of said plate, said bar being laterally and outwardly spaced from the vertical adapter wall, and retaining and anchoring means on the underside of said bar adapted to abut an adjacent tie to limit slippage of the frame after its working position is established, and interiorly disposed and wholly confined reinforcing means comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertically disposed webs, said webs buttressing and being integrated with the underside of said plate and inner face of said vertical walls as well as said tie spanning bar.

3. A car re-railer of the type shown and described comprising a single casting fashioned into a unitary openwork frame, said frame comprising a substantially triangular vertically disposable adapter wall proportioned and constructed for disposition adjacent to and alongside of a coacting standard railroad rail, an inverted substantially V-shaped dual. ramp plate, said plate secured to and extending laterally from the upper edges of said vertical adapter wall, the end portions of said plate slanting downwardly and outwardly from the median vertical region of the frame and defining wheel ramps, the edges of said ramps spaced laterally and outwardly from said adapter wall being provided with upstanding longitudinally extending ribs, said ribs constituting wheel confining guides, the vertex portion of said ramp plat inclining at right angles and toward the head of the rail in a manner to receive and then laterally carom and shift the wheel laterally in the direction of said rail head, said inclined vertex being formed integral with an outstanding retainer, said retainer being adapted to hook over the head of the rail and including an arcuate wheel engaging surface and a rail guiding groove, said frame also including a horizontally disposed relatively narrow crosstie spanning bar, said bar being connected at its outer ends to the transverse outer low lying end portions of said ramps, said bar being spaced laterally from and disposed parallel to the vertical adapter wall, and provided on its underside with a depending cross-tie abutment lug, said lug having sharpened edges to embed in a coacting tie.

HARRY J. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Dat 991,958 Cremans May 9, 1911 1,081,717 Broderick Dec. 16, 1913 1,784,741 McCarty Dec. 9, 1930 489,187 Moore Jan. 3, 1893 798,894 Fewings Sept. 5, 1905 914,070 Pluard Mar. 2, 1909 1,119,704 Ledbetter Dec, 1, 1914 1,713,453 Scott May 14, 1929 

